Back Away From the Cell Phone!

Once upon a time, in a far away country, there were no cell phones.

Gasp! No cell phones?! How did people survive?

They did pretty well actually. Stress was infrequent, families actually spent time together at dinner rather than text messaging their status to their social network, and the women were able to enjoy those few stolen moments alone without interruption.

We are all guilty of answering our cell phones when we shouldn’t. No matter where we are, or what we are doing, as soon as we hear that ringtone, we dive into our purse for our lifelines…I mean cell phones.

Out for dinner with the family…we answer the phone. Taking a bubble bath..we take our phones with us so we don’t miss a call. Even after a manicure and with our nails still wet, we will search our purses for that cell phone regardless of the damage to our fresh coat of polish.

A friend of mine recently shared a story about what happened during the birth of her grandson. I could hardly believe it when she told me, but unfortunately it is a true story.  Her daughter had endured eighteen hours of labor and was in the delivery stage.  In the middle of a huge push, a cell phone rings.

Everyone in the room, the Doctor, the nurse,  even the father-to- be,  reaches for their cell phone. After a few seconds, a chorus of,  “Not Me” chimed. Her daughter, red faced and annoyed, yells to the assembly, “It was me! Can we get back to work?”

We can laugh about the story now, but at the time it wasn’t funny at all.

I know this is an extreme example of our addiction to our cell phones,  but I am sharing this to make a point.  When you finally schedule those few precious minutes of  “me time”, turn the cell phone off! The world will soldier on without you for a while.

Make those fleeting moments of serenity worthwhile.  Enjoy your massage or manicure without interruption. Take that time to recharge and prepare yourself for the next battle of life.